Alex,
Pinhole camera are ancient. and the design is kind of based of the "camera obscura." Basically you have a lightproof container. I used an oatmeal container painted black on the inside, its light tight. Then you cut a hole in lets say 2cmx2cm. then you take a material to make the pinhole out of, I used a piece of a soda can, I've also used tin foil. Then you make a shutter to cover the hole. You go into the dark room and load in (for the JO-PC1) photographic paper. Photographic paper is light sensitive and if you were developing film its what you would expose you negative onto. Then you go into the darkroom and process it. Then load another sheet and so on. (I should mentions the exposure time is ridiculous with paper, like 30 seconds on a nice sunny day)
In order to avoid the developing, mainly because I am not good at it and its a time consuming process. I made one that takes film. I took a couple photos blindly (the clicker I made to count sprockets stopped working so I was just guessing on how many turns to a new frame.
I took the film to get it developed, I expected a bit to be wasted, and it was my first time ever dropping of film. I went back two hours later, the longest two hours I've ever spent reading. The stores just around the corner, and theres a new technician. I go O'Connell (and I was worried, my envelope was the last in the drawer I was thinking they hadn't finished yet) he says blank. i was like come again, and he said they're blank. I get out my wallet and you don't have to pay if you don't actually get prints, btw. I kept the negatives, he must have thought it odd, for my to come in get blanks processed and then keep the negatives. On my way home aside from being mad i realized something. 3/4 of the film (I only shot about 3/4 of the roll) was BLACK and they're negatives, so that just meant over exposed and that meant a light leak. Any way, it was a learning experience.
Alex, pinhole photography was forgotten about literally a few decades after it was invented. so by the 30's no one really cared much. During the sixties people started becoming interested and a lot of photography professors and teachers still today use it just as a method of teaching. They were also especially popular in Czechoslovakia. Anyway, I recommend you maybe try to make one that uses film you can get processed. You can get some great results
http://www.pinhole.cz/en/gallery/ has some great stuff.
I'll finish my post later have to go grill some steak.
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